My dog fights other dogs on walks. How to stop dog aggression?

Some dogs can be aggressive towards other dogs regardless of their upbringing. I recommend walking Sammy on a leash with a basket muzzle. Take treats with you on your box and when you see another dog have him sit until the other dog passes. Then give him a treat and praise him for being a good boy. This will take time in order for him to concentrate and focus on you rather than the other dog but with consistency he should start to focus on you and the treat. You can also look into hiring a dog trainer to help you train Sammy with his aggression towards other dogs. It is important to remember that this is not necessarily a consequence of how you raised him and may just be the way he is. Some dogs are never OK with other dogs.

This is a case for a professional trainer. I suggest you work with a professional trainer or join a dog club where you can do obedience training with your dog and work on the aggression issues. You can also have your dog evaluated by a veterinary behaviorist who can help you with behavioral modification tips as well as medication if necessary. Here is where you can find a veterinary behavioral specialist: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709

It is possible that Bubba may be acting protective of you, causing him to go after other dogs when you go on walks. He could also be anxious or fearful, leading to him acting “aggressive” towards other dogs, or be displaying territorial behaviour. I recommend that you see a veterinarian to help out medical causes, and to see if medical therapy is indicated for his behaviour. Also seek the advice of a dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques, or a veterinary behaviorist, to help curb this behavior. If left untreated, Bubba will likely get into a fight with another animal, and he and/ or the other animal may be seriously injured, or worse. Hopefully he will improve with training and learn what is and is not acceptable behaviour. I would advise keeping him on a leash and away from other animals until you have the chance to work with a trainer or behaviourist. It is also essential to make sure he is up to date on his vaccinations, particularly his rabies vaccine, since he is regularly around other animals and could be at risk of contracting diseases. See the link below for some great information on how to redirect Bubba's attention away from other animals and toward you when you are walking: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/reactive-dog-foundation-exercises-for-your-leash-reactive-dog/

It sounds like your pups may be a little under socialized and may need some extra help. Tugging on a extra short leash can just create more tension and stress which may encourage the barking and aggressive behavior. It is best to contact a local trainer or behaviorist in your area who can work with you on dog on dog aggression, usually with a training technique of BAT or desensitization to get your dogs used to being around and positively interacting with other dogs. It is important to work with someone in person that can be there to step in if there is a problem and observe/teach what behaviors are happening. If your dogs are able to, a basic obedience class may also be useful to teach some loose-leash walking manners, and help you and your dogs understand and work better together.

If Hondo gets into a fight every time he's at the dog park it would be best to discontinue going. For some dogs, the dog park is a high-stress place and it may not be for them. Other ways to exercise can include solo walks, fetch in secluded areas, and even focused activities that don't involve other dogs. If he's having trouble with the new puppy, or is severely dog aggressive/reactive it would be best to talk with a trainer or behaviorist in your area that can work with you on a plan to help get him more desensitized to other dogs, and potentially doing OK with some. In the mean time, if play gets too rough or one or both dogs seems agitated, taking a break and separating both dogs until they've calmed down is best. Make sure not to leave them unsupervised together as even the sweetest dog can accidentally injure another! Since aggression toward other dogs is a complex issue, it is best to work with a trainer who can supervise your techniques and plan in person.

I'm sorry to hear that your dog is having this problem! Behavior issues like this are quite complex, and often very difficult to handle successfully on your own if you don't have any training experience. And particularly with an aggression problem, it may not be safe to attempt to work on this without professional assistance. If at all possible, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on the problem. Although the initial visit may be somewhat expensive, in many cases owners are able to stay in contact with the behaviorist via phone or email about how things are going without the need for repeated in-person sessions - which cuts down tremendously on the long-term cost vs. working with a trainer every week. The behaviorist may also recommend medication or other adjunct treatment options that could be helpful in addition to the training plan. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist here: www.dacvb.org If your dog is mainly aggressive to other dogs when she sees them on-leash (the most common form of this problem, in my experience), I would also suggest the short book "Feisty Fido" by PhD behaviorist Patricia McConnell - it has very sound, useful advice for dealing with this issue that may help to get you started.

That's great that you are working with a trainer. Keep that up. This may be part of his personality that may not change, but keep trying and exposing him and working with him. Google in your area and veterinary behavioral specialist to work with if it doesn't improve.